Culture Archives - Page 1515 of 1552

Road Blaster, You Have Stolen My Heart

It’s not often I come across a game I’ve never even heard of putting this feature together, but that happened yesterday with Road Prosecutor. Which means, yes, I’d never heard of its arcade original Road Blaster either. Man, I wish I had. All these years I’ve wasted without having seen this clip. So, first things…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 16, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Check Out What’s New On Total Recall, Our Very Own Retro Section

Brought to you every day, from 11pm-midnight (EST), Kotaku goes retro. The most recent batch of stories include: Mr. Awesome, the Greatest Video Game Player Who Ever Lived Maybe I Liked GoldenEye For Weird Reasons There was Once a U.S. National Video Game Team, and This Guy Was Its Captain The Greatest Justification For Messed-Up…

By Tina Amini Published April 16, 2012

Culture

Trials by Fire

The long-awaited return of RedLynx’s acclaimed Trials series, plus the Xbox 360 release of The Witcher 2, highlights an otherwise light week for core video game releases. Tuesday • The Witcher 2 (360) • Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (Vita) • Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat (360, PS3) • Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (PC) Wednesday •…

By Owen Good Published April 15, 2012

Culture

Sunday Comics: Mass Effect Retake

Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. ActionTrip by Borislav Grabovic and Ure Paul published March 19.—Read more of ActionTrip Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published March 19.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!!…

By Owen Good Published April 15, 2012

Culture

This Week in the Business: ‘Max Payne 3’s F***ing Brilliant.’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “Max Payne 3’s f***ing brilliant.”—Matias Myllyrinne, CEO of Remedy Entertainment, commenting on Max Payne 3, which they got to play with in the course of advising Rockstar about the game QUOTE | “There needs to be another price reduction on the…

Steve Peterson Published April 14, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Maybe I Liked GoldenEye For Weird Reasons

Earlier this week, we published an intelligent takedown of the beloved Nintendo 64 James Bond first-person shooter GoldenEye. Maybe, our guest writer wrote, this game was a little bit flawed. Maybe the campaign was monotonous and the multiplayer map design was weird. Maybe we can still love the game despite or because of its flaws.…

By Stephen Totilo Published April 14, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

There was Once a U.S. National Video Game Team, and This Guy Was Its Captain

A leader of a national team of athletes could reasonably expect to make a few endorsements or appearances, and in his day, Donn Nauert had his. Whether supplying a pro’s advice on Gradius or judging a video gaming triathlon, the captain of the U.S. National Video Game Team offered confidence, rectitude and, of course, a…

By Owen Good Published April 13, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The Greatest Justification For Messed-Up Video Game Graphics I Ever Saw

I’ve forgotten most of the things I read in video game instruction manuals when I was a kid. But one thing I read in the instruction manual for the Commodore 64 version of Double Dragon stuck with me. It taught me something about the reality of video games. I’m talking about a note in the…

By Stephen Totilo Published April 13, 2012

Culture

You Guys Like Giant Robots, Space Pigs and Fighting Octopus, Right?

Concept artist Trevor Claxton has, in addition to working on projects like Magic the Gathering, also lent his talents to games such as Dust 514, EVE Online and Warhawk. If anyone’s going to draw awesome mechanical killing machines, it’s this guy. I’m not saying these images come from any of those games. I am saying,…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

When “Sexy” Meant “Fully-Clothed With Expensive Race Cars”

I remember when I was 8, and my important bits still didn’t quite know what they were doing, I thought this was the single greatest image on the planet. A sexy European lady and a McLaren F1 car? It was heaven. Twenty-four years later, my bits know exactly what they’re doing, and…this is still pretty…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 12, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The Sad Story of a Japanese Gaming Legend who Pretends War Crimes Never Happened

Here at Total Recall, we deal in history. Partly because I love my video games, but also because as a graduate in the field I love my history as well. So it saddens me deeply when I see people involved in video games trying to mess with real, actual history. Which leads me to something…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 12, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The Greatness of Terrible Voice Acting

The AV Club’s newly-relaunched games section, the Gameological Society, explores one of the greatest single examples of voice-over work in the history of the industry: Last Alert, a shooter for the TurboGrafx-16. A game renowned the world over for just how shitty its localisation work was, just about everything that could go wrong does go…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 11, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

A Controversial Arcade Classic Gets its Own Documentary

Arcade classic Dragon’s Lair has its share of critics, but because it was so beautiful for the time, it’s also got its share of fans. Enough for there to be a market for a very slick documentary. Inside the Dragon’s Lair is an upcoming documentary being put together by Sleepyeyed Films, who are looking to…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 11, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Nintendo’s Terrifying Power Glove Indoctrination Video

Get a cup of tea, a biscuit or two and settle in for ten minutes worth of Nintendo Power Glove propaganda, courtesy of the official VHS cassette guide to the peripheral. It is something you really should watch. From the product placement to pseudo-religious tone throughout, it’s as perfect a summary of one of Nintendo’s…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 10, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

That Time Sega Made a Ridiculous Fighting Game. With a Car in it.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of its Smash Bros. series, a lot of people give Nintendo credit for pioneering the idea of a fighting game bringing together a company’s mascots in the name of face-punching. Sega fans, though, will know that Smash Bros. was just the latest in a long line of such titles. One…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 10, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

In 1974, Arthur C. Clarke Predicted the 2001 Internet

Not just as a vague concept, either. The famed science fiction author absolutely nails it, from the bank statements to the hardware to the social changes to the possibilities for communication. “Visionary” is an awful, over-used word, but it’s cases like this which are the rare exceptions you can actually use it and it fits.…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 9, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

RIP, the Man who Helped Get me Into Video Games

When I was four years old, my father took me out to a local electronics store and said we were buying a computer. OK, I thought, not really knowing why that was such a big deal. Twenty-seven years later, I now know it was one of the most significant days of my life. That day…

By Luke Plunkett Published April 9, 2012

Culture

Mario Kart. Made Out of Chocolate.

The Mario Kart games have wound up on nearly every Nintendo platform since the wacky combat racer debuted back in 1992, thrilling millions. But this might be the first time that Mario and Luigi have become artisanal delicacies. Reader Daussy sent in these pictures of a chocolatey tribute to Nintendo’s kart-racing game, which were crafted…

By Evan Narcisse Published April 9, 2012

Culture

Finally, it’s Fez

Downloadable titles highlight the week’s new releases, including Skullgirls, World Gone Sour and, at long last, Fez. Tuesday • Skullgirls (PSN) • World Gone Sour (PSN) Wednesday • Legend of Grimrock (PC) • Skullgirls (XBLA) • World Gone Sour (XBLA) • The Splatters (XBLA) Thursday • Tribes: Ascend (PC) • Men of War: Condemned Heroes…

By Owen Good Published April 8, 2012

Culture

Sunday Comics: You Kiss Your Mother With That Mouth?

Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published April 6.—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published April 2.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by…

By Owen Good Published April 8, 2012